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In petroleum drilling technology, a drill string in an oil rig is the column, or string, of drill pipe with attached tool joints that transmits fluid and rotational power from the kelly drive or top drive to the drill collars and bit. Often, especially in the oil patch, the term is loosely applied to both drill pipe and drill collars. Some type of drilling fluid is almost always pumped down the inside of the drill string and circulated back up the annulus, or ring shaped void between the drill string and the formation.

Contents 1 Drill string components 1.1 BHA 1.2 Transition pipe 1.3 Drill pipe 2 Running a drill string 3 Stuck drill string

The drill string is typically made up of 3 components:

• Bottomhole assembly (BHA)
• Transition pipe (Often HWDP - Heavy Weight Drill Pipe)
• Drill Pipe

Each component is made up of several parts. The various tools in each component are joined together using special threaded connections known as tool joints.

The BHA is made up of a drill bit which is used to drill the hole, drill collars which are large OD tubulars used to apply weight to the drill bit, and stabilizers which keep the drilling assembly centered in the hole. The BHA may also contain other components such as a downhole motor, Rotary Steerable System, measurement while drilling (MWD), and logging while drilling (LWD) tools.

Heavyweight drill pipe (HWDP) is used to make the transition between the drill collars and drill pipe. The function of the HWDP is to provide a flexible transition between the drill collars and the drill pipe. This helps to reduce the number of fatigue failures seen directly above the BHA. A secondary use of HWDP is to add additional weight to the drill bit.

Drill pipe is always the longest component in a drill string. Typically thousands of feet of drill pipe are used to drill an oil well.

Most components in a drill string are manufactured in 31 foot lengths (range 2) although they can also be manufactured in 45 foot lengths (range 3). Each 31 foot component is referred to as a joint. Typically 2 or 3 joints are joined together to make a stand.

Pulling the drill string out of or running the drill string into the hole is referred to as tripping. Drill pipe, HWDP and collars are typically tripped in stands to save time.

A stuck drill string is generally caused by the drill pipe sticking to the mud cake on the wall of the wellbore due to filtrate loss in wall of the well or due to cuttings settling back into the wellbore when drill fluid circulation is stopped. Stuck pipe is also possible when hydrostatic head is lower than necessary. Differentially stuck pipe occurs when a vacuum is formed between the drill bore and the drill string. Keyhole sticking occurs mechanically as a result of pipe tripping into doglegs. The BHA will also become stuck when the drillers slides without rotating, the BHA will also be packoff if not reamed out after every stands.